Defeating Singapore Slingers in the semi-finals, Saigon Heat entered the finals against Hong Kong Eastern. Losing the first match and then winning back against the opponent from Hong Kong (China) to tie the score after two rounds, Saigon Heat took advantage of a day off to prepare best for the decisive match. Unfortunately, coach Matt Van Pelt had to return home due to family matters, so "Mr. 30" lost some of his confidence without his captain.
Saigon Heat let Hong Kong Eastern take the lead early.
In the decisive match for the championship, the Vietnamese representative was soon behind 9-24 and 26-36 at the end of the first and second quarters. It was not until the third and fourth quarters that Saigon Heat gradually improved their performance, exchanging blows with their opponents. However, the 10-point gap prevented "Mr. 30" from coming back and losing with a final score of 60-73.
Evan Gilyard and his teammates' efforts could not help the home team reverse the score.
In the decisive match, Evan Gilyard continued to maintain his impressive performance from the previous two finals. The 1.78m foreign player was the top scorer of the match with 23 points, 4 points more than the second-place player, Hong Kong Eastern. However, Gilyard's brilliance was not enough to help Saigon Heat reverse the situation when the players from Hong Kong (China) were more evenly matched in scoring.
Sadness of "Mr. Thirty"
Winning 2-1 in the end, Hong Kong Eastern became the new champion of ABL season 11. On the other side of the battle line, Saigon Heat missed the opportunity to win the tournament for the first time. Although only finishing second in this year's tournament, Saigon Heat still created a milestone in their achievements and in Vietnamese basketball. Previously, "Mr. 30" had reached the semi-finals of the tournament 3 times.
Hong Kong Eastern becomes the new champion of ABL season 11
Where you fail, stand up from there. Saigon Heat has a strong fan base and basketball is increasingly gaining a foothold in Ho Chi Minh City sports . Surely upcoming tournaments such as VBA 5x5, VBA 3x3 and SEA Games 32 will continue to help basketball gain an even more important position.
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